


One Action Changed

by SwinginSass



Category: Troy (2004)
Genre: F/M, Fix-It, Love, Troy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-18 21:09:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16524710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwinginSass/pseuds/SwinginSass
Summary: What if Briseis and Achilles had left Troy? What if Hector and Paris saw their cousin after a few years?





	One Action Changed

"What are we doing here Hector?" Paris questioned, as their ship approached the shores of Phthia. "What is his business with us?"

"I don't know brother," Hector confessed. "I do know that if the Myrmidons had not left the war when they did, we would still be fighting today or we may have already lost the war. And so many more lives would have been given." 

"Do you really believe that one man could have turned the tides of the war?" Paris looked ready to disagree.

"Achilles could have." Hector was certain the Prince of Phthia could have led to the destruction of Troy. Paris had never faced Achilles in battle as Hector had. Even three years after Achilles left and a year and a half after the war ended, he had wondered at the warrior's strange absence. "It matters not, Troy is safe now and we shall see what Achilles wants. We will reach Phthia by midday and find out for ourselves."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eudorus knocked on the heavy doors to the throne room. Entering when he was bid, he bowed low to Achilles who was sitting with his advisors. "The Trojan ship has been spotted, milord," Eudorus announced. 

"Wonderful." Achilles stood, addressing the council, "we will finish this later." Approaching Eudorus, he asked, "where is my wife?"

"Down at the beach with the children. I believe Patroclus is with them." 

Achilles nodded, pleased he wouldn’t need to find some excuse to keep her from the palace. They tended to spend hours at the water. Taking his cloak from the servant at the door, “let’s go meet our guests at the dock then.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Welcome to Phthia Prince Hector, Prince Paris.” Achilles gave them a slight bow as they disembarked their ship. They returned the bow, though Achilles noticed that Paris seemed rather sullen doing so.

“Thank you Prince Achilles.” Hector approached and shook his hand respectfully. “We were very surprised to receive your request to come.”

“I am sure you were, but I am glad you were willing to take a chance. Come, let me show you around.” Achilles led them to the chariots and toured them through the city before heading to the palace.

Hector found Achilles to be a charming host, surprisingly friendly and while he could sense the seasoned warrior underneath, this Achilles seemed suited to the quieter life in his kingdom. Paris, on the other hand, saw deception in every word and remained on edge.

Sitting down in the courtyard, they enjoyed a fine meal before Hector broached the topic of their invitation to Phthia. “Not that we are ungrateful Prince Achilles, but I assume you invited us here for a reason.”

“Yes I did. I am sure you are curious as to why my army came to Troy and only fought one battle before leaving.” Hector nodded, so Achilles continued, slightly nervous about their response. “After the first battle, Agamemnon insulted me by taking something that was mine. To punish him, the Myrmidons did not fight and the Greeks lost badly in those first battles. Eventually Agamemnon was persuaded by those smarter than him to return what he’d taken in an effort to entice me to return my men to the battle.”

“But it didn’t work?” Hector enquired.

“Before I left for the war, my mother told me if I went, I would earn glory and be remembered forever. If I stayed however, I would find love and family, but eventually my name would fade. I chose glory, but on the beach in Troy, I realized I was wrong.”

“What made you change your mind?” Hector couldn’t imagine what would change the hardened warrior’s mind.

“Love.” Paris scoffed and Achilles fixed him with a hard glare. “Your love started the war Prince, why would you doubt that mine could end it, at least for my men and I.”

“And who is this woman who changed everything? I doubt there are many women in a Greek camp save prostitutes,” Paris spat out, obviously angered at the blame being placed on him. Hector glared at him, his disrespect unhelpful.

On the other hand, at his comment, Achilles grew a little nervous. Turning to Hector, he said, “do you remember the day we met, when my men sacked the temple?” Hector nodded. “My men found one person alive after the battle.” Achilles watched as Hector’s mind whirled and suddenly went sheet white.

“Briseis.” Achilles nodded and Paris exploded at him, fists flying. Everyone froze when the sound of happy child shrieks filled the courtyard and a boy of about three ran in.

“Papa,” he ran to Achilles, mindless of the tension in the room. Achilles scooped him up protectively, lest Paris make another move at him.

“Hector what did I say about running away,” a woman’s voice called out cheerfully as she entered and stopped cold, eyes flitting over the guests in shock. Briseis turned to Patroclus, “would you take the children to the nursery cousin?”

Patroclus could sense Briseis’s desire to get her children out this uncertain situation, though he was loath to leave Briseis and Achilles alone. Looking around, he spotted Eudorus and a few other guards scattered subtly around the courtyard. Achilles must have told them to remain out of the way unless he was in need, so Patroclus decided to do as Briseis asked. He carefully took the sleeping weight of Alexandra from her arms and little Hector’s hand, who had been set down by his father and sent to Patroclus. “I will look after them cousin, do not worry.”

Briseis tried to smile at him and watched until they were safely out of sight. Slowly turning back around, she could feel the oppressive silence and her cousin’s stares weighing down heavily on her. Skirting around them nervously, she went straight to Achilles’s side.

He wrapped an arm around her, tucking her in closer to his side and whispered, “I am sorry I didn’t tell of their coming. I was hoping to have everything explained then surprise you with their visit. Unfortunately we are more at the point where they want to kill me.”

Briseis gathered strength and raised her eyes to meet Hector’s. She saw them glistening with unshed tears and could feel them forming in her own eyes. She had been resigned with never seeing her family again, how could she when they all assumed she was dead. And yet here they were in front of her. Hector took a step forward with an outstretched hand. Sensing no malice in him, she ran into his arms, into a hug she had not felt in years.

“Bri, I thought you were dead,” Hector pulled back slightly to look in her eyes and brush her tears away. “I am so sorry.”

“For what?”

“I should have tried to save you instead of leaving you to the Greeks,” his unnecessary guilt was written all over his face.

“There was no need to save me. I was well taken care of.” She directed a soft smile at Achilles, who smiled back.

Hector remembered Achilles’s tale and put it together. “Briseis was the reason you didn’t fight, Agamemnon took her from you.” Achilles nodded and Hector questioned Briseis frantically, “did Agamemnon hurt you?”

Briseis shook her head,” he barely touched me, too afraid of what Achilles would do to him. I was relatively safe until they lost too many battles and had to withdraw. Agamemnon gave me to his men to lift their spirits.” Horror must have filled Hector’s face, because she paused in her recount to sooth him. “It’s alright cousin, apart from a few minor injuries, they did nothing. Achilles stopped them and rescued me.”

“But how did you end up here?”

“I punished Agamemnon by remaining out of the fight longer, to make him pay what he’d done,” Achilles stepped a bit closer, but well out of reach of Paris lest he pull his sword. He didn’t want Briseis to get caught up in a fight.

“Make him pay for taking what was yours, like my cousin is a possession,” Paris spat at him.

Hector felt Briseis stiffen in his arms, but she stayed quiet. He was surprised that Achilles didn’t react in anger to the verbal attack. He simply looked at Paris and said, “pride may have been my excuse, though it was more for what he threatened to do to Briseis.”

Briseis moved out of Hector’s arms and returned to Achilles, grabbing his hands. “I promise he did nothing more than speak my love, which was disturbing enough, but had no lasting effect.”

He kissed her forehead then pulled her beside him again, hands linked, to continue his story. “We used that time of quiet to get to know each other. After she tried to kill me of course,” he grinned at her.

Hector let out an undignified, “what,” whereas as Paris demanded angrily, “why didn’t you?”

Briseis fixed him with a hard stare, very reminiscent of Achilles, “because I couldn’t bring myself to kill that man who’d saved him.”

Paris looked ready to say something else, but Hector hushed him.

“After that, everything was relatively simple,” Briseis looked at Achilles adoringly. “After some time passed, he asked if I’d be willing to leave Troy.”

“And she asked if I’d be willing to leave the war.” Achilles gazed at her with a fondness that Hector could not deny. “We left the next night and returned here.” 

“Your men didn’t care about leaving?” Hector questioned. “I am surprised such fierce warriors would be willing, first to remain out of the battle and then to leave.”

“My men follow me, fight the battles that I deem worthy. Fighting for Agamemnon like a leased dog was nothing my men or I liked.” Achilles’s hatred of the dead King resurfaced until Briseis soothed his anger with a soft word. “They were happy not to die for a cause that we didn’t believe in.”

Hector could understand that. He was willing to lay down his life for Troy whenever it was needed, but to fight for someone else, for something he cared nothing for, it was unimaginable. “Though it had little to do with Troy, we are grateful that you decided to leave. The war ended much sooner for it and in the end, we were able to reach a peaceful conclusion after Agamemnon’s death.” 

Before Achilles could respond, Paris asked, “how could you leave Briseis,” anger gone from his voice, only heartbreak remaining.

Taking a step towards him, Briseis said, “how could I return to Troy cousin? I was in love with the man who could raze the city. I didn’t want the looks of pity or disgust, those who deemed our love as wrong. And I could not have returned to the temple or married another, so I would have been sentencing myself to a miserable life alone. How could I deny myself the chance to be happy? Can’t you of all people understand that Paris?”

Paris stood silent for a moment, thoughts in upheaval, before rushing towards her. Achilles went to draw his sword, but stopped when he realized that Paris was embracing, not attacking, her. “I’m sorry cousin. I do understand. I blamed myself for your death, but to see you alive and happy, it’s like the Gods are smiling.”

Hector approached the pair and joined their embrace. After a few minutes, they separated and all had to wipe tears from their cheeks.

Paris turned to Achilles, “Prince I apologize for my behaviour. I can’t thank you enough for protecting my cousin. I hope that you can forgive me.” Paris bowed respectfully and awaited Achilles’s judgement.

Achilles held out his hand to shake which Paris did gladly, all traces of his attitude gone. “You are forgiven…cousin.” Paris smiled at that, as did Hector and Briseis.

“Father will be so thrilled to hear you are alive,” Hector said to Briseis, “and that you are a mother.”

“Why don’t I go get the children,” Achilles offered, “and you can catch up.” Briseis looked at him gratefully and nodded. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Achilles cradled his two children as he approached the courtyard. He nodded to Eudorus, whom he’d left in charge to watch over Briseis. He may have welcomed the Trojans, but he was always weary about Briseis being in danger. Thankfully as he approached, all he heard was laughter.

Once Briseis saw him, she jumped up and came over, taking the squirming boy from his father’s arms. Turning back to her cousins, she said, “I’d like to introduce you to our children. This is Hector.” The normally precocious child suddenly turned shy and buried his face in his mother’s neck, arms wrapped tight around her. “Won’t you say hello to your Uncle Hector and Uncle Paris, little prince?” He shook his head and clung tighter.

Hector spoke softly, “don’t worry Briseis. We’ll be here for a little while so he has time to get used to us.” Pausing for a moment, he then continued, his voice a bit thick, “I am very honoured and surprised that you named your son after me.”

“It was Achilles’s idea.” The Trojans looked surprised. “He said he wanted our children to have a connection to both sides of their family and that you were a worthy namesake.” Achilles looked a little bashful as Hector thanked him.

“And this is our daughter, Alexandra,” Briseis gestured to the sleeping infant in Achilles’s arms.

“She is beautiful,” Paris looked at his niece, immediately besotted. He and Helen had not yet been blessed with any children, and seeing Alexandra made his yearning even greater.

“She looks like you did when you were young Briseis,” Hector added.

“Thankfully she got her mother’s looks rather than mine, whereas Hector is mostly me.” The two children were quite different, Hector blonde and Alexandra dark haired, but still a good mix of both their parents.

“You have a beautiful family Briseis,” Hector said. “It’s hard to believe that this morning I thought you were dead and now here you are, a princess, a wife and a mother. The Gods must be smiling on us.”

“It’s never what I expected my life to be, but I can’t imagine anything else now.” Achilles wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. Looking up at him lovingly, Briseis said, “I am so happy now.”

“Thank you Achilles,” Paris said, “for giving our cousin back to us and making her so happy.”

“Thank you for accepting us, this relationship. Briseis and the children are my whole life and I swear to you, I will spend my life making sure that they are safe and happy.” 

_And thus the story went. An act of love began the war and an act of love ended it. Troy and Phthia remained allies and friends as the families visited as often as they could. And Achilles never regretted giving up everlasting glory, what need did he have for it surrounded by his wife and children._


End file.
